FIve years ago Zack would have been three times older than his young brother but five years from now he will only be two times older than his brother. How old is his brother?
25
In other words let x= brothers age so:
3(x-5)=2(x+5)
Then 3x-15=2x+10
x=25
I thought it might help to see the process. Five years ago, his age would be X-5. Five years from now, it will be X+5. Can you see how we develop the formula below?
3(X-5) = 2(X+5)
Just multiply and solve for X.
I hope this helps a little more. Thanks for asking.
Did anyone even see that the question wanted his brother's age. Also, how did you test your answers?
Let y be Zack's age and x his brother's age. We're told
y-5=3(x-5)=3x-15 so y=3x-10
y+5=2(x+5)=2x+10 so y=2x+5
equating them
3x-10=2x+5, and solving for x we find his brother is 15 and Zack is 35.
Test: 5yrs ago Zack was 30 and his brother was 10. 5yrs from now Zack is 40 and his brother is 20.
y=3x-10
y=2x-5
It seems there was a mistake in the previous explanation. My sincere apologies for any confusion caused. Let's correct it now.
Given the information, let's assume Zack's age currently is Z and his brother's age is B. We can set up the following equations based on the given conditions:
1) Five years ago, Zack was three times older than his brother:
Z - 5 = 3(B - 5)
2) Five years from now, Zack will be two times older than his brother:
Z + 5 = 2(B + 5)
Now, let's solve these equations to find the ages:
Simplifying Equation 1:
Z - 5 = 3B - 15
Z = 3B - 10
Substituting Z from Equation 1 into Equation 2:
3B - 10 + 5 = 2(B + 5)
3B - 5 = 2B + 10
B = 15
So, Zack's brother is currently 15 years old.
To find Zack's age, substitute this value back into Equation 1:
Z = 3(15) - 10
Z = 35
Therefore, Zack is currently 35 years old.
To verify these answers, you can check if they satisfy the given conditions. 5 years ago, Zack would have been 30 and his brother would have been 10. 5 years from now, Zack would be 40 and his brother would be 20.